boo
Jul 25, 2012 2:19:29 GMT -6
Post by boo on Jul 25, 2012 2:19:29 GMT -6
Paperwork was the bane of her existence but it was important. If any one person was not processed properly it was possible that they could be set free on a mere technicality. Fortunately, it had not happened recently and certainly not in her time as the Chief. This particular edition featured a breaking and entering plus an arson charge. Of course, they had managed to narrow it down and bring in the perpetrator, which offered Lin some peace of mind. Of course, when the person had set an officer's home alight with the woman inside, all involved in the investigation tended to take it as a personal affront. The young woman in question had been seen to and fortunately survived. Lin had visited her and offered condolences and her sincere support. Hopefully that was enough and she couldn't help but feel remorseful that she had not prevented such an attack. Well, she would simply have to do what she could to stop it happening again.
Lin walked from the room and through the corridors, towards the main entrance. Hm. More juvenile delinquents being brought in for questioning and processing. What was happening with the youth of today? Lin watched as one of the officers led a couple of kids past her. Chief Beifong looked at the faces of each person that walked by and when the group had passed she took the files from the officer after a brief request and walked with the group towards the holding cells.
"What did you catch them doing."
The usual, desecration of public property. Lin turned the pages in the preliminary report with little interest. They were people who had performed such acts before and usually got off with a light warning. The cells were for hardened criminals not these sorts of criminals but the punishments would get worse the more times the kids were arrested. Lin's brow creased as the officer informed her of another person they had arrested for a different crime, who was now waiting in an interrogation room.
"Right. Bring me the file and I'll take a look."
She nodded to the man and then turned on her heel towards one of the rooms. For a while, she waited outside the room, arms folded and a stern but thoughtful gaze fixated on the wall opposite. When people passed, she nodded a greeting but did not fidget as some were prone to do when waiting. After being handed the file, Chief Beifong clenched her hand into a fist and pushed open the metal wall to open the room. Casually but with an air of disapproval, she walked and stood opposite the offender.
Then she waited for the other person to speak.
{ooc: hope it's ok!}
boo
Jul 26, 2012 6:33:40 GMT -6
Post by boo on Jul 26, 2012 6:33:40 GMT -6
Soon after she had entered the room, the girl started speaking. She recognised the confusion in the tone and had, in fact, read a lot about young Airi Hitomi. Holding the file loosely in her left hand, she folded her arms and listened to the questions. It was something she'd heard plenty of times before from plenty of criminals but Airi Hitomi was not a hardened criminal. She had a record to be sure but nothing terribly horrific. Still, she had broken the law and that was that. The denial was as much a confession for her but they had only the shopkeeper's word against Airi's and very little other proof. Lin placed the file on the table and sat down. Her expression remained stern and unimpressed. Probably no prison time would be served but rather fines, an apology and community service... Assuming she could prove the crime had taken place as they had been told and made aware. Witnesses could be found if they were needed of course but this was not an utterly heinous crime.
Although she looked stern and there was certainly no softness to her tone, Lin was not planning on tackling this interrogation as she would a person brought in for a more heinous crime. Airi Hitomi had been arrested before. Her file indicated as such and all times she had seemed confused about what had happened. Certainly, this could be a sign of someone trying to avoid the consequences for their actions but also, it was written here that her parents had said something about short-term memory loss. Lin meant to discover whether this was the truth or whether it was some sort of cover up doctored by the girl and her parents in an attempt to avoid charges.
"I have a report that says otherwise," She started coldly, "Miss Airi Hitomi, arrested for stealing. Your record is quite extensive."
Lin looked back up at the girl, searching for a reaction as she paused. Mostly, she seemed innocent but even the most innocent face could be used well enough by a liar. Yet given the reports that had passed by her desk about Miss Hitomi and none of them good. No report that passed over her desk was a good report of course but Lin had become intrigued enough to decide for herself that she would interrogate the young lady when she received the chance. After all, repeat offenders were of an interest to her. A slap on the wrist would not cut it. Hitomi was an adult and must be held accountable. She would have liked it had Korra received the same punishment but, unfortunately, the matter had fallen from her control. At the thought of the Avatar, Lin's expression darkened for the briefest moment.
"But enlighten me with your tale."
Lin sat easily in the chair and although her shoulders and upper body seemed rigid, she was certainly not stressed. Lin was not worried about this interrogation even if the girl was the daughter of some well-respected individuals in the city. She had broken the law just like any other. Had the child of a council member been arrested it would be the same treatment as an orphan off the downtown streets. The same could be said of all the elite officers under her command she hoped. Should they be caught doing otherwise, she would have words with them. In her eyes, corruption was abhorrent.
boo
Aug 1, 2012 18:03:42 GMT -6
Post by boo on Aug 1, 2012 18:03:42 GMT -6
Intimidation was just a part of her job and Lin Beifong did not necessarily try particularly hard to act as such, it seemed to come naturally. She was fairly still and calm as she listened to the young lady's version of the events. Her officers had reported something different from witnesses. Airi Hitomi had approached the stall, asked for a kabob and then walked away without paying the woman who owned the stall. Certainly, it was possible that the shop owner was lying in an attempt to receive compensation but that hardly seemed a likely event. As soon as a business owner, no matter how small, gained a reputation that was it. People would avoid the stall. Perhaps even now the story was spreading and the truth was that the woman had tried to take advantage of a situation.
It was unlikely. For the moment, Lin's brain was whirring with alternate theories. They ranged from the improbable to the strange but there was one that stuck out the most.
"Trouble is, Airi, you seem to have a lot of incidences like this one. Considering this record of yours you can forgive me for being suspicious."
Lin's tone indicated that she didn't particularly care about all that. Whether or not Airi was comfortable here was not her trouble. Chief Beifong was forced to concede, however, that there was something more to this and that Airi certainly was not a criminal mastermind. Yet, there was still something that troubled Lin. When too many similar cases turned up, Lin had to step in. It was important to keep an eye on who was coming through the system.
"You say she took your money. You remember the exact appearance of this woman? Are you certain you gave her the money?"
Lin's tone was fractionally softer but still hard and somewhat untrusting. Most of these events turned out the same. A young man or woman arrested for a minor crime, picked up by their parents and most charges dropped. When it happened more than once it became most suspicious. Lin never wanted to let someone go free should they be aware of their actions and perhaps planning other criminal acts.
"Most witnesses seem to think you did not give her any money."
Most witnesses meaning a meager two. The woman and the man standing behind Airi in line. No one truly watched what was happening in front of them especially when it was something so mundane as purchasing a kabob.
{ooc: sorry it's taken so long, I've just been back to college this week}
boo
Aug 11, 2012 5:27:28 GMT -6
Post by boo on Aug 11, 2012 5:27:28 GMT -6
Interesting, Lin thought. The girl had at least accurately described the vendor and that was something. Lin could detect no hint of lying from the girl. Of course, deception was never something one could see all the time and certainly its detection was never a precise art. Still, Lin prided herself on being right most of the time and all the reports seemed to indicate that Hitomi never really appeared to be lying. It took a very talented liar to maintain a lie for such a long time. Lin had met a few in her life who, even when they had been caught, kept up their act. One such individual, a man, had insisted another had murdered his best friend. The lies told were so accurate, so intense and vividly remembered that it had taken years before they finally uncovered the truth. This man had been a key witness and yet they had believed him over the stranger he had implicated. Lin still felt some remorse over that case, that they had sentenced an innocent man to prison for three years on the word of a liar. It was part of the reason why she was being so meticulous with Airi. Things could be as they were on the surface or they could run much deeper.
"A crime is a crime. Payment is one thing but the law is another. None are above the law."
Still, Airi had given her money to someone and it didn't seem like it had been the woman. This was a conclusion Lin had come to in the interim. The woman had not received the money. Such a small matter this was yet worth some investigation. Normally such a case would, of course, not be a part of her attention but, again, when someone came in a few times Lin preferred to take a look herself. It was one of the ways they'd managed to snag a few Triad members.
The Chief's eyes narrowed at Airi's statement and she looked over the file again. There was definitely a witness and barring corruption, the arresting officer had no reason to lie. Said officer was one of her more decorated individuals and therefore she had no reason to suspect him. Lin remained quiet as she looked through the file again. All or most accounts seemed to indicate a poor recollection of the events. Could it be that someone had taken advantage of this? Maybe not even intentionally. At first, Lin didn't voice her thoughts.
"You're sure about that? Is it possible you just don't remember another person being there?"
Lin's tone still remained hard as she spoke. When on the job, unless she was dealing with the victim of a crime she tended to remain quite harsh when speaking with perpetrators. As she still had no solid evidence otherwise, Airi was the latter. That said, Lin was coming around to a different way of thinking. One needed to take responsibility for their actions whether aware of them or not but the result of said actions could certainly differ depending on where this new line of questioning led.
boo
Aug 19, 2012 19:40:33 GMT -6
Post by boo on Aug 19, 2012 19:40:33 GMT -6
Well, one thing could be said, claims about poor memory seemed to be fairly accurate. It was something Lin had wanted to establish for herself. There were plenty of good, compulsive liars out there many of whom believed their lies. Satisfied now that the reports hadn't been false, Lin could dig a little deeper into the problem at hand. Now it ran deeper than just a girl stealing some food. It came down to Lin's suspicions and in three weeks, she didn't want to be sitting here talking to Airi again. She had still stolen but now the Chief was sure it was for another reason. It had been something of an accident. This meant she had to figure out a reasonable punishment to fit the crime. If indeed it was an accident it would probably amount to an apology and a payment to replace the cost.
In thought, Lin's eyes were cast downwards, towards the table but when Airi asked her question, Lin Beifong looked back at the young lady. First harshly but then thoughtfully again. Airi obviously did have something of a memory issue. She could not entice the girl towards admitting something of which she did not even remember. Still, Lin's posture relaxed fractionally when she realised there was no malice behind the question. There was no indication of aggression. Perhaps her own tensions had been running high in light of the emergence of yet another gang on the streets of Republic City... A group of non-benders in addition to the three triad gangs. It was no excuse. She should have done her job properly and separated herself from the differing degrees of crimes.
"I think someone may have taken advantage of your unique situation. It says here that your memory is not the best. I had hoped to discover the truth behind that for myself. How many people know of your memory issues?"
Again, there was no real warmth behind the tone but the hostility had somewhat dissipated. Now there was a small sense of protecting someone from further criminal acts being either enacted by or upon the young woman sitting opposite her. Now, Airi was less a criminal (although she would still have to pay the price lessened as it would be) and instead another citizen of Republic City who was being taken advantage of by entrepreneuring individuals. Many of whom were also criminals on Lin's watch list. The frustrating thing about gangs was that Lin could rarely get her hands on the big time bosses, rather only managing to catch the small timers or, in Airi's case, the people those small timers used to their own personal gain. This was more frustrating than anything else.
boo
Sept 19, 2012 4:56:06 GMT -6
Post by boo on Sept 19, 2012 4:56:06 GMT -6
Lin looked at Airi as she spoke and refrained from rolling her eyes. Well if it was common knowledge then it seemed like she needed to be a little more careful with where she went and with whom she associated herself. Either way, it wouldn't take a genius to see Airi in the streets, recognise her, and try to cause trouble. It may have started with a simple theft but it could get into something worse. How hard would it be to siphon more money from the young woman? Perhaps this was merely a test as to exactly what they could get away with... Next time Airi came in it could be as a result of something much worse. Framed for a robbery perhaps? Arson charges? The officer in Lin worked hard to make connections and imagine the worst possible scenario because, more often than not, the worst case also happened to be the likely one.
Still, there was one thing that was useful at least. Airi knew she had a memory condition. That was something as it meant people would look out for her, even if some might want to use her to their own devices. Even if she forgot the small things once in a while it wouldn't be difficult to get her into a situation where she might end up being framed... or worse she might be manipulated enough to actually commit the crime.
Clenching her jaw at what she was about to do, Lin closed the file and got to her feet.
"Right. A warning will suffice. I will look into this further. My request is that you pay the woman and apologise to her in the meantime."
Lin paused and lingered a moment, looking at the woman. Eyes narrowed slightly, features softened for a brief moment.
"I know you're an adult but be careful. Republic City is changing and the people in it too. Be on your guard."
Lin had her work cut out for her if she wanted to assuage her concerns and confirm or deny her current suspicions. With all that had been happening recently, it was becoming tougher to focus on what was happening to the average Republic City citizen. Lin loathed this and it was part of the reason for the rumblings throughout the city. Lin nodded to Airi and walked to the wall, pausing a moment before she bended the metal to either side and stepped out into the corridor.
"Make sure she gets home," Lin spoke to the officer and then walked towards her office to finish the paperwork.
As soon as she had time, she would look into the matter personally. Lin's free time was usually spent in such a manner because none of her time was ever truly her own.
